With over 80 people shot, the Fourth of July weekend was Chicago's
bloodiest of the year, prompting someto suggest the National Guard be called in to patrol the troubled city. On Monday, "satire" site The News Nerd did them one better, publishing an article claiming military forces had already been deployed to the city now "considered a war zone."

Unfortunately for fans of alarming, unsourced information, this is completely false. Asked about the supposed military deployment, Defense Department spokesperson Tom Crosson called the story "a hoax."

"People have suggested that or made that recommendation," Crosson told Gawker, "but no, it's not happening." As of Friday the article had been shared on Facebook over 25,000 times.